Sweden Muslim woman wins case after job interview was terminated when she refused to shake hands

A Muslim woman in Sweden has been awarded compensation after her interview was terminated after she refused to shake hands with a male interviewer.

Farah Alhajeh was attending a job interview for an interpreter role at Semantix when she failed to shake hands for religious reasons.

The 24-year-old said she was introduced to the male boss and placed her hand on her heart and smiled as a greeting.

Sweden-born Ms Alhajeh said that she had explained that she avoided physical contact due to religious grounds.

However the company showed her out of the building.

A Swedish court ruled on Wednesday that Ms Alajeh had been discriminated against and ordered Semantix to pay 40,000 kronur (£3,420) in compensation.

The court found that her refusal to shake hands was protected by the European Convention on Human Rights.

She told The New York Times:"It was like a punch in the face. It was the first time someone reacted and it was a really harsh reaction."

The company had argued that its staff members were required to treat men and women equally which includes how they greet others.

The case comes after a woman was denied French citizenship in April after she refused to shake the hand of a senior official.